Week 35: Silk & Soul
Last week, I declared that in terms of pure vocal prowess, Aretha Franklin surpasses any other female singer we've heard thus far. I stand by that statement, but this week allow me to add an equally important rejoinder: Nina Simone's work is still more important.
Fundamentally, it feels to me like Franklin is trying to produce hits, whereas Simone is trying to make art.1 Sure, Silk & Soul features covers of some popular songs, like "Cherish" and "The Look of Love",2 but it also includes tracks like "Turning Point", and "Consummation". I can't imagine the latter two were ever conceived as commercial successes, but I find them moving in a way that the pop tunes aren't: "Turning Point" is an emotional gut-punch, and "Consummation" is a slow burn that weaves its threads into a fantastic climax. I'm more than willing to concede that Franklin could outperform on straight bops like "It Be's That Way Sometime", but I'd sooner listen to a niche work of Simone's than a radio hit from Franklin.
Those differences are also reflected in the two artists’ approaches to activism. As discussed last week, some of Franklin's megahits (most notably "Respect" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman") dovetailed nicely with rising social movements—but if they were inspiring, they were also inoffensive; nobody was up in arms over "taking care of TCB".3 In contrast, Simone intentionally torched her career in the southern states with her release of the rather unsubtle "Mississippi Goddam"—an unrestrained protest song written in response to a spate of racially-motivated murders in Mississippi. Whether one ought to pursue incremental change or total revolution is a fraught debate, but with the benefit of hindsight in this particular example, I can't imagine favouring Franklin over Simone.
Alas, all too often visionary artists must content themselves with much more modest commercial success than their peers. So it went with this "rivalry":4 for "Go to Hell" (from this album), Simone was nominated for the first-ever Grammy award for "Best Female R&B Performance". She lost to none other than Franklin, who won with… "Respect". Franklin subsequently went on to win the award for the next six years in a row. Sorry, Simone—if it's any consolation, you've got my vote.
Favourite track: Turning Point
I recognize that to make such a sweeping judgement based on a total of three albums (we first heard Simone on her blues album) requires a hasty arrogance and disdain for sufficiently large sample sizes, but one makes do with what one has available, and in this particular instance, it is my job to make takes. If an intrepid reader is prepared to cite controverting discography entries, I am very willing to eat crow.
"The Look of Love" is from the Bond movie Casino Royale. No, no, not that Casino Royale; the 1967 version that was first intended as an earnest entry into the 007 canon, but had to rebrand as a parody after failing to secure the rights. The resulting film was described by Roger Ebert as "possibly the most indulgent film ever made." I will watch it as soon as humanly possible.
"TCB" stands for "taking care of business", and yes, those are the actual lyrics to "Respect".
My hypothetical framing; I haven't seen anything that suggests the two viewed each other in an especially competitive manner.